M is for Mr Teal'c
by Rogue Cnidarian
Summary: Janet finds her feet at the SGC. Sam&Janet friendship; gen.


**Title:** M is for Mr. Teal'c  
**Category:** Gen. Janet, Sam, Teal'c.  
**Rating/warnings, etc:** G, set shortly after _Broca Divide_. ~1000 words.  
**Disclaimer:** No profit is being made and no infringement is intended. Yadda.

**A/N:** For **sg_fignewton**'s Janet Alphabet Soup and Gen Fic Day.  
Thanks to Cole for the beta and for sitting there while I boshed it out at the last minute.

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"Dthint aah oo ith oredhy?"

Janet resisted the urge to roll her eyes. As she had quickly discovered since starting at the SGC, Samantha Carter was extremely proficient at a great many things, but talking sense around a tongue depressor was not one of them.

"I'm almost done, Captain, _then_ you can ask me questions," Janet responded, keeping her tone light. "And the answer is, yes, you've done this once already, I know. But we're implementing new procedures and I'm also giving everyone an exam to establish their normal healthy stats. An individual baseline of sorts, to use as a comparison when something is wrong in the future." That was assuming something would go _wrong_; she wasn't a pessimist by nature, but this first contact mission set-up was, in her opinion, slightly nuts.

Captain Carter blinked at her in silence. Janet stepped back.

"Done. Fire away," she said, switching off her penlight. Expecting further questions or even mild grumbling, she was surprised when the captain grimaced sympathetically.

"That sounds like a lot of work."

Janet's turn to blink. The members of SG-1 weren't the first into the infirmary that day and they would be far from the last. Running physicals for the whole base _was_ a lot of work and whenever an airman complained about having to give up twenty minutes of their day, for their own good no less, she wanted to remind them that it wasn't exactly her idea of fun, either. The captain was the first person to show a little understanding. And after the manic events of last week – a Neanderthal virus, talk about trial by fire – Janet needed the encouragement more than she wanted to admit.

Regarding the captain, she shrugged. "I could probably gather most of the data from existing charts, but doing it this way means my staff and I get a better 'feel' for each of our patients. Personally, I think it's worth it."

Her tone must have retained some residual defensiveness; the grimace was back as Captain Carter slipped off the gurney.

"Colonel O'Neill has just been in here, hasn't he." It wasn't quite a quite a question, more of a statement, and enough that Janet felt she could confide her unease if she wanted to. "If he gives you a hard time, it only means he's figured out already that he trusts and respects you. He's just got an...interesting way of showing it."

"So I'm starting to see," Janet said, grabbing a pen and making a final chart notation. The colonel had to be the most unorthodox second-in-command she had ever met. But she could also recognise that he was very capable, a good strong leader who cared about his team and, for that, she was prepared to put up with a lot. Besides, she was pretty adept with the wicked one-liner herself.

Janet turned back around and removed her gloves. "Okay Captain, we're finished here. Thank you for bearing with me. I think you might be my favourite patient so far today," she added dryly.

That earned a smirk. "Do I get a sticker?"

Janet laughed and made a show of checking her lab coat pockets. "Nothing regulation issue, sorry," she joked. The new gloves snapped against her wrist and she mentally returned to professional matters. She glanced at the new chart and took a deep breath. Now for the challenging exam; nothing in Gray's could have prepared her for this.

She called after the retreating figure. "On your way out, could you send Mr. Teal'c in, please?"

"Teal'c."

"I'm sorry?"

"It's just 'Teal'c'." The explanation was hesitant and a little apologetic.

Oh. That explained the mirthful twinkle in Colonel O'Neill's eye during the last post-mission, then. And the way Dr. Jackson appeared on the verge of blurting something, before thinking better of it. Going by what she'd seen of the team dynamic, at the time she'd just assumed both the former and the latter's behaviour to be something of a constant state. Apparently not.

"Right. Thank you for letting me know. I hope I didn't cause any offence."

"Oh, no, don't worry. He's been reading up on our culture, requesting more books than we can get hold of and generally letting Daniel talk his ears off." Captain Carter smiled fondly. "I'm pretty sure he understood you intended it as respectful."

"I hope so. As far as I'm concerned, you are all my patients and I wanted him to know that I will treat him with the same care I give anyone." Janet stopped and fluttered her hand. "My inexperience dealing with alien physiology notwithstanding."

"I know how you feel. This is all so new and I'm expected to be able to solve problems or explain things. The science I studied has practically been re-written - I feel like a novice half the time!" The captain shrugged and then grinned. "Wouldn't want to be anywhere else, though."

Janet found herself beaming back. "No."

There was a moment of shared emotion, a mix of trepidation and exhilaration, then she made a shooing motion, still smiling.

"Send _Teal'c_ in, please. And thank you, Captain." She hoped it was clear she wasn't just grateful for the title correction. She had a feeling this was the beginning of a good friendship.

"Welcome." There was a pause and Janet looked up to catch sight of an impish grin from the doorway. "And it's Sam."

Then she was gone, but Janet could've sworn the grin stayed there for a split second longer.

When she opened the door for the final member of SG-1, he stood in front of her with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Teal'c," she greeted him, gesturing towards the gurney.

"Doctor Fraiser," he intoned, inclining his head, and she knew, then, that he understood her mistake.


End file.
